The hands on Ken’s throat continued to choke him, and he struggled for breath. He was paralyzed. Flashes of Tommy and Sasha struck the forefront of his memories. Their faces became bruised and beaten, warped by Scott’s fists. “I’ll go to the cops. I’ll tell them everything.”
“You could,” Scott said, nodding and tilting his head to the side. “But that won’t bring your family back from the dead.”
And there it was. Everything had come full circle. The entire reason he’d reentered this line of work was to keep his son alive. To keep his family fed. But what was that old saying? It’s always your favorite sins that kill you? Except they wouldn’t kill him. They’d kill his family.
Ken pushed himself up. His body trembled from adrenaline. He walked over to the phone on his desk and picked it up. He just needed to buy himself a little more time. He dialed the number. Three rings. Mr. Alwitz answered. “This is what we’re going to do.”
Chapter 3 – 13 Hours Left
It took some haggling, but Lena finally managed to convince Longwood to let her speak with Jim Foreman. There were two stipulations: the first being that Jake couldn’t be present, and the second being that Longwood himself sat in on the conversation. She agreed.
Longwood led the both of them into a conference room, and when Lena saw him sitting in the chair with the cuffs around his wrists, restrained to his chair, she thought the anger over what his family had done had left her. She was wrong.
There wasn’t a fiber in Lena’s being that didn’t want to leap across that table and choke the life out of him. But there wasn’t time for that. Jim Foreman would get his day in court. She swallowed the rage and focused on the task at hand. She needed to know what Jim knew.
Jim looked up, a sheepish expression of sorrow plastered on his face. “If I had known—”
“But you didn’t know.” The room cooled from the icy tone. Lena saw the goose bumps along his arm. She wasn’t cold, though. The blood boiling in her veins made sure of that. “You’re going to miss a lot of moments in your family’s life, Jim. First the stunt with the riots, now an attempted murder charge?” Lena shook her head. “It’s going to make it very hard for your lawyer to convince a jury that you weren’t in your right mind. A one-off can be disproved. You’ve developed a pattern.”
Jim’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, his eyes still on the table. “If I could take it back, I would.” He dared to lift his eyes and look her in the face. “I don’t have any excuses.”
Lena had seen enough clients in her attorney days to recognize someone who didn’t want to put up a defense. They knew what they had done was wrong, and they were ready to accept the consequences. “You’re looking at up to ten years in prison. But I still have my contacts over in the DA’s office. I could make a call on your behalf.” Behind the sullen eyes she watched the wheels slowly turn. “It would go a long way with the jury if the person you tried to kill testified on your behalf.” She stepped around the table, stopping at the corner, where she drummed her fingers. “If you make it worth my while.”
Jim raised his eyebrows. His words were slow, and his voice jumped an octave. “What do you want?”
Lena circled around the back of his chair, then took a seat in the chair adjacent to him. “I want dirt on New Energy. I want to know what they’re hiding. I want to know why they’re so afraid of my bill that they would risk kidnapping my daughter. I want justice, Jim. For me, and for all of the families they’ve hurt. Including yours.”
Jim writhed uncomfortably in his chair. “If you’re asking if I ever received any official orders from my bosses to do what I did… I didn’t. But the boys upstairs didn’t make it any secret when they shared their feelings about you.” Jim shifted his glance between Lena and Longwood. “My rig manager was one of them.” He took a large swallow and then looked down. “He kept talking about how you were trying to screw all of us over.”
“You must have heard someone say something.” Lena refused to believe that an organization as large as New Energy was able to keep all of their dirty laundry from flapping in the breeze. “Something at the bar, something at lunch.” She curled her fingers into fists, the encroaching cold of desperation rearing its ugly head. “Something!”
Longwood stepped closer. “Lena.” When she looked over, he had his hand on the grip of his pistol, the top strap of the holster already unsnapped. “Take it easy.” He kept his voice calm, but it failed to quell the storm that had started.
Lena gripped Jim by the collar, twisting the fabric of his shirt. She raised her fist in the air, ready to beat what she needed to know out of him. When she caught her reflection in Jim’s eyes she saw a woman she didn’t recognize.
But just as quickly as her outburst began it ended. Longwood pinned her arms behind her back and shoved her against the wall. The cool concrete sizzled against her flushed cheek as she impotently tried to break free of the deputy’s hold, screaming. “Tell me! Tell me where she is!”
“Lena! Stop!” Longwood spun her around and kept her pressed against the wall. His longer fingers curled into her like knives, and he had to squat to get to her eye level. “He doesn’t know anything.”
Grief slowly overtook the rage, and tears burst from Lena’s eyes. Longwood’s grip loosened, and she slid to the floor. When she looked up at, Longwood’s hand was off the gun, and he repositioned the strap over the pistol. She looked to Jim. “If you ever wanted to clear your conscience, now’s the time.”
Jim took a breath, closing his eyes, his hands balled into fists. He scrunched his face in concentration, and Lena clasped her hands together and prayed. “Wait.” Jim opened his eyes quickly. “Reese Coleman. He was doing something for the company. Something that got him into trouble.”
The hope faded. Lena wiped her eyes and pushed herself up from the floor. She felt slower, heavier. “We know.”
“So you saw the picture?” Jim asked.
Both Longwood and Lena snapped their heads in his direction, circling his chair. Lena leaned in close. “What picture?”
Jim pulled his head back slightly, giving the two of them some distance. “Reese mentioned something once. It was after work. I had just pulled a double and needed a beer, so I went into town. By the time I got there he was already drunk off his ass. He did that sometimes, just went on a bender.” He shook his head. “I don’t know how he gets away with it in front of Kelly. Becky would ring my neck.”
“The picture,” Lena said. “What was it?”
“He kept going on and on about this special assignment he got, and how he was getting paid a lot of money for it. Another guy joked that whatever it was must be illegal, and Coleman got all serious, leaned into me and my buddy so only the two of us could hear. He said that it was off the books, that no one was allowed to know about it. Then he got out his phone and showed us this picture. It was dark and blurry, but I could see some of the waste barrels in the background.”
“Did he say where the picture was taken?” Longwood asked.
“No. It looked like the middle of nowhere. You think living here as long as I have I’d be able to recognize something, but even after forty years it all still looks the same.”
Lena stood and motioned for Longwood to join her outside. “I need to see Coleman’s phone.”
“Lena, I don’t think—”
“If you need an excuse, you can tell the judge that I was preparing evidence for Jake’s defense. I’ve already filled out the formal paperwork to represent him. You can even log it through the proper channels. But we need to do this now, Chris.” Lena glanced over to the clock.
“All right.” Longwood walked them over to the evidence locker, and he checked the phone out of storage himself. “I’m surprised Kelly hasn’t reached out to grab some of this stuff. Most of it could have been picked up yesterday.”
Lena clicked the power button, hoping that it still had some juice left. The screen illuminated, and she immediately sifted through the photos, praying that he hadn’t deleted it. Then, after a few swipes, she saw it. “There.” She zoomed in. The waste barrels were in full view, but she saw something else behind them. It was blurry but had the outline of a man. She couldn’t tell who it was from the picture, but she had a good idea.
“Son of a bitch,” Longwood said, muttering to himself. “I checked his phone records but never bothered to look at what he had on the phone itself.”
Lena handed the phone back to Longwood. “Take Jim’s statement. I’ll talk with the DA. See if we can get a case together.” Lena turned to Longwood, wobbling on two shaking legs. “Remember, play it close to the vest. No one else can know.”
Longwood nodded, and just before he was out of ear shot, she called after him, jogging to catch up. “Hey, have you heard anything on Nick?”
“No, both he and the deputy that was instructed to take him to Bismarck are missing.” Longwood placed a hand on her shoulder. “I wouldn’t worry about him though. I’ve got a few guys on it.”
“You don’t think—”
“Jake had me check his alibi after Kaley went missing. He was getting drunk in a bar in Bismarck. Six witnesses.”
“Right. Thanks.” When Lena stepped outside Jake was waiting for her near the back exit. It was odd seeing him not dressed in his sheriff’s uniform. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen him out of it.
“Anything good?” Jake asked.
“Maybe.” Lena inched closer, lowering her voice. “If we get enough incriminating evidence against New Energy, then I could make a deal with them under the table. I think I might know someone who could help. Do you think you could go and talk with Kelly and see what she knows?”
“I’ve asked her before,” Jake answered. “It was a dead end.”
“See if you can’t try again. Jog her memory. I’ll meet you back at the house.” Lena turned to leave, but Jake called out to her.
“Hey, did Longwood mention anything about Nick?”
“Yeah, he’s still missing. Longwood has guys looking for him though.” Lena returned to her car, starting the engine. If she was going to get the leverage needed to force New Energy’s hand, then she needed a big fish, someone who could be bought. And she knew exactly who to target.
***
“You told me there weren’t any loose ends on this!” Mr. Alwitz screamed through the speakers. The tantrum had lasted nearly an hour, and the merry-go-round of questions and answers remained the same. “How could have you fucked this up?”
“There weren’t any breadcrumbs left behind,” Scott answered. “The official report I filed when we were finishing the land deals had both of us inspecting the perimeter of the property for new drilling sites. It doesn’t say anything about us leaving the compound. And if anyone wants to check the security footage in the area where we happened to be, they’ll find the video files corrupted.”
“The security footage won’t mean jack shit if all those farmers start coming out of the woodwork! All it takes is for one of them to say something, and then all of a sudden they start sprouting like fucking weeds!” A crash thundered through the speakers, which sounded as if the phone had been thrown. A few seconds later Mr. Alwitz returned. There was still an edge to his voice, but he lowered his volume. “We need something more than just hoping the other farmers won’t talk.”
“The majority of the farmers have already signed over their land. If they try to come forward now, it’ll look like they’re just hopping on the bandwagon,” Ken said, “which we could spin. The problem are the six farmers who haven’t signed over the deeds yet. Dan Lanks, who was the farmer who showed up at the press conference today, is one of them.”
“I’ll pay them another visit,” Scott said. “Make sure I’m clear this time.”
“Yeah, that’s a great fucking idea.” It slipped out before Ken had a chance to stop it. He paused a moment, but after overcoming the dread that accompanied Scott’s stare, he continued. “The only reason we’ve been able to stay alive in this fight has been public opinion and the promise that we haven’t done anything wrong. It was what you touted during the civil suit, it was what I’ve spun with the bill, and that shield is crumbling. We’re treading water right now, and the next wave that comes our way will sink us.”
Mr. Alwitz paused. “So what is your suggestion, Ken?”
“We don’t have many cards left to play, and this one will hurt us, but we can still control the story.” Ken took a breath. “We leak information that one of our oil riggers took matters into his own hands. Went rogue. We pick someone that doesn’t have a family. If they don’t have a file of documented warnings for aggressive behavior, then we forge some, and fast. We make him the face of the issue, but say that we’re handling it internally, and we give up the pursuit of the remaining six farmers’ land.”
“We need those acres, Ken. This isn’t the solution I was looking for.”
“Well, it’s the only fucking solution you’re going to get!” Ken’s cheeks flushed, and he backed away from the phone. It was lunacy. All of it. How he got here, his kid’s illness, the company. And the salt in the wound was he chose to be here. It was his own hell.
“Scott, pick up the phone,” Mr. Alwitz said.
A feeling of nausea suddenly took hold of Ken’s senses, and it only worsened as Scott locked eyes with him as he listened to Mr. Alwitz and nodded as he said, “yeah,” “uh-huh,” and “okay”. Chills ran down Ken’s back, and his eyes were suddenly at the door. He wanted to run. He wanted to hop on the next flight back home, pack up his family, and leave for Europe, permanently. He could find work there—his experience with so many different companies could open up doors in any industry. It was where Tommy needed to go for his treatments anyway. He could make it work. He just needed to leave. He just needed to get out before that creature got his hands on his family.
“No,” Scott said. “They won’t find out.” He hung up the phone and stepped around the desk. “Prepare a press statement to go out this afternoon. It will deny any of the accusations made by any of the farmers, and we will provide all documentation necessary of the legal purchase of any land that New Energy has recently acquired.”
“I’ll call him back to confirm in a little—”